19 killed in military helicopter crash in Sudan’s Darfur

KHARTOUM, July 25, 2005 (Xinhua) — A military helicopter crashed on Monday in Sudan’s western Darfur region, killing all 19 people on board including four crew members.

A statement by the Sudanese military forces attributed the accident to “the bad weather condition”.

The helicopter, Mi-17, was destined to Lait Jar al-Nabi, but the pilot found it difficult to land because of bad weather condition.The helicopter returned to Fasher in North Darfur State, butagain failed to land. Therefore the pilot decided to continue flying to Niyala in South Darfur State.

The plane crashed at Dumayat near Niyala, killing all the 19 military personnel on board, according to the statement.